Slashdot Log In
Westinghouse Commits to Green Plug's Universal A.C. Adapter
Posted by
timothy
on Sat Jun 14, 2008 09:08 PM
from the to-rule-them-all dept.
from the to-rule-them-all dept.
Ian Lamont writes "Westinghouse is the first major electronics manufacturer that has publicly committed to using a 'smart power technology' that will let people use a single universal adapter to power their laptops, cell phones and other electronics. The universal adapters, which use a technology developed by a startup called Green Plug, will act like a hub that several devices can plug into, and will also shut off the power supply when the device is turned off or has finished charging. The first are expected to go on sale in early 2009 for under $100, according to Westinghouse's CTO. Eventually, Westinghouse and other manufacturers that use the technology could stop shipping adapters with their products, because customers may already have universal adapters at home. However, some manufacturers may not be inclined to use universal power adapters: the article notes Apple gets supplementary revenue from the sale of proprietary connectors for the iPod and other devices."
Related Stories
[+]
Technology: Universal Power Adapter Struggling For Support 277 comments
Ian Lamont writes "Last year, there was a lot of hopeful discussion surrounding an initiative to have the consumer electronics industry standardize their products on a USB-based universal power adapter devised by Green Plug. Eight months later, the effort has stalled. The reason: manufacturers have balked from using Green Plug's technology. '... Gadget makers seem to have no compelling financial incentive to adopt Green Plug's technology. It would require them to add Green Plug's chip, or similar hardware and software, into every phone, camera, or music player they build, making them more expensive and more complicated to build. Another stumbling block for manufacturers: A universal power supply would kill the market for replacement power supplies. Manufacturers sell these at a steep markup price to customers who lose or break the original one that came with the device, and aren't tech-savvy enough to procure a low-cost generic replacement.' Green Plug is now trying to drum up public outcry through a (slow) website, but the number of supportive comments and votes remains relatively low."
This discussion has been archived.
No new comments can be posted.
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
Full
Abbreviated
Hidden
Loading... please wait.
Radioshack called... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Radioshack called... (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re:Radioshack called... (Score:5, Informative)
When did Radioshack have anything like this?
Radioshack had "universal" adaptors, that basically had several different plugs, and you could select the voltage and polarity, so you could make it work with your device.
Green Plug uses the same plug for all devices, and when you plug in a device, the device and the power supply communicate. The device tells the power supply what its power needs are, and the power supply supplies that.
Parent
Moan of despair (Score:5, Funny)
This is going nowhere. (Score:5, Interesting)
In this case, I think the Chinese government actually got it right. They've forced all cell phone manufacturers to provide a USB port for charging the phones. Seems like a reasonable standard to me.
Cheers,
Re:This is going nowhere. (Score:4, Informative)
Parent
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re:This is going nowhere. (Score:4, Informative)
The Motorola branded charger that came with it works fine, and computers with appropriate drivers work fine; but generic USB chargers and computers without drivers get a little "unauthorized" message and no charge.
I'm sure it enables business models or something; but whoever came up with that one needs to be garroted.
Parent
Re:This is going nowhere. (Score:5, Informative)
USB devices have two levels of power they can draw - one very tiny amount, and a larger amount (guess which one charging your phone requires?)
When a USB device is plugged in, it only gets the minimal amount. If it needs more, it has to negotiate for it... and operating systems do this with a driver. If you have no driver (or the amount of power requested would overload the USB bus), the request for the higher power level is denied, and the phone doesn't charge.
Generic USB chargers just accept the request, unless it's for more than they can put out... which might have caused your problem... but it's not the phone that's at fault. (The phone needs what it needs, so if the charger can't or won't supply it, there's nothing the phone can do about it.)
Parent
Re:This is going nowhere. (Score:5, Informative)
The computer will supply at least 5V 500mA to a device before it enumerates.
and got moderated Informative for it.
I don't know who did this moderating, but it must be someone who, like Hal Porter, does not know the USB spec.
A USB device may only draw 100 mA before it is enumerated.
When it is enumerated, it may negotiate more power with the driver, up to a maximum of 500 mA.
When it is connected via a USB-powered hub, the driver will decline this request, and current stays 100 mA max. Otherwise, you could draw 2A from any USB port by simply connecting 4 devices through a hub.
Parent
Re:This is going nowhere. (Score:5, Interesting)
The computer will supply at least 5V 500mA to a device before it enumerates.
and got moderated Informative for it.
I don't know who did this moderating, but it must be someone who, like Hal Porter, does not know the USB spec.
A USB device may only draw 100 mA before it is enumerated.
When it is enumerated, it may negotiate more power with the driver, up to a maximum of 500 mA.
When it is connected via a USB-powered hub, the driver will decline this request, and current stays 100 mA max.
If it did enforce it, people would return it as incompatible with this sort of device.
And that's really the point here. The spec isn't the whole story and most USB hosts were designed by people who wanted to maximize compatibility with devices that skirt the rules rather than robotically enforce "ze rules" and then tell users they were idiots for not understanding the spec. It's like something out of theoldnewthing really. The user doesn't know the spec, they just buy cheap USB gizmos. And cheap USB devices will most likely work like this because they don't need a microcontroller. Telling the user you won't support their device and they were an idiot for buying it is just being a jobsworth [wikipedia.org].
Enforcing the "100mA before enumeration" rule is silly though and that's why no USB host I have seen does it.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
I know what the spec says, I'm just pointing out that a PC won't enforce that 100mA limit for the excellent reason that loads of devices use USB just as a handy 5V supply and don't have the necessary smarts to enumerate.
...
Enforcing the "100mA before enumeration" rule is silly though and that's why no USB host I have seen does it.
OK, now I see your point.
If you follow the spec, your device will only draw 100 mA max before enumeration, and work under all circumstances.
If your device does not have the smarts to follow the spec, you become responsible for directly connecting it to a PC port without a hub.
Enforcing the "100 mA before enumeration" on the server side would indeed be silly.
But enforcing it on the client side (and thus equipping the client with the smarts to limit the current before larger current is allowed by the server)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Given the frequency of billing screwups I've had with Verizon
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re:This is going nowhere. (Score:5, Interesting)
This is bad for consumers and bad for the environment. Locked cell phones after the intial subsidised plan expired should be illegal. It should be legal to take a phone free from a plan and subscribe it anywhere.
Traveling overseas often means buying a local phone to avoid extreeme roaming charges, where a sim card for your trip should be all that is needed to take advantage of calling plans overseas.
Having a phone for home and one for abroad is crazy. Taking a phone aborad and paying roaming fees is crazy. Pre-ordering a SIM card should be the way things are done, but locked phones prevent it.
I noticed Cellular Toys is now selling unlocked phones. When my contract is up, I'm looking into it.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Then theres CDMA carriers like Verizon and Sprint, which are totally incompatible with the GSM carriers.
In a nutshell cell phones suck and there are a lot of reasons why phones wind up in landfills.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
I think it has to do with the way WinXP decides if it is safe to send power over the line or not.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re:This is going nowhere. (Score:5, Informative)
Other similar phones use different but similar schemes.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re: (Score:2)
That said, floating such a standard may well be functionally impossible, which makes the imperfect but available seem like a good idea. USB is clearly the answer for low power devices; but it would be rather nice to have a similarly standard connector for 1
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Amp Standard? (Score:5, Informative)
fortunately there are a lot of devices that can run off 5 volt DC, so usb charging instead of wall brick is starting to take off. it's much cheaper to power off usb than to include a 'cheap' wall brick. only window's implementation of usb is 'broken' so that a device needs a device driver and must be in 'active' mode to charge.
besides, if you design the device to charge off usb, you can then 'sell' a brick that costs extra and not include one for the 'price' of the device. both saving money, and adding a revenue stream.
Parent
Re:This is going nowhere. (Score:4, Funny)
Think about it this way--with a USB cable plugged into a free USB port and the other end plugged into the USB-styled powerport, you can carry your laptop around forever and never run out of power! I think the Chinese are onto something there...
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Not for Apple? (Score:2, Informative)
So? You'll still need the proprietary iPod connector to hook it up to this charger hub, and Apple can still make it's money there (though there are already 3rd party chargers and connectors available). Though they have a point; my iPod won't charge in a universal USB charger, or even when connected to the computer it won't charge when its "dismounted" in Windows, and I am sure there'
Re:Not for Apple? (Score:5, Insightful)
Windows will not allow high current to the usb port unless the device is seen, driver loaded, and running. Many cellphones refuse to charge USB until you install the windows driver.
It's Microsoft's fault. get a powered usb hub and bypass stupid microsoft tricks.
P.S.: it's not the computer. Under linux I can charge a device with a usb port even if no drivers are loaded. only windows does this.
Parent
Re:Not for Apple? (Score:5, Informative)
Parent
Re:Not for Apple? (Score:5, Informative)
They pulled the same crap with the power management specs on laptops, so OEMS could "optimize" their performance, instead of simply implementing the default optimizations from the chip manufacture directly. The reason is that it keeps devices tied to Windows drivers and keeps OEMS in the Microsoft upgrade treadmill.
Parent
Re:Not for Apple? (Score:5, Informative)
USB has a handshaking protocol for establishing what sort of load is attached and whether the host (hub, PC, whatever) will support the requested load's power. Many wall wart USB chargers are dumb 5V supplies. While this will satisfy some load devices, others will remain in 'low power' mode, awaiting the supply to acknowledge a request for more power. Which will never come. This may result in trickle charging or no charge mode at all.
Experts on the topic may jump in and correct me, but this is my understanding: Some O/Ss handle the USB handshaking in device-specific drivers (Windows), while others implement this function in the lowest level of their USB stack (Linux). Smart USB hubs and chargers have a microcontroller and firmware to support this protocol.
Parent
I'm not impressed... (Score:4, Insightful)
Do I get multiple smart power units at a hundred a pop instead of the cheapo $2 ones I use now?
Will these fancy $100 units power multiple devices at the same time, each using a different voltage?
Will it really handle an 85 watt load for a loaded laptop plus the dozen other devices that need simultaneous power for operation/charging?
Wait a minute, my WiFi base, router my cable modem, my scanner, and who knows how many other "things" in my office all have wall warts powering them. How may devices will one of these $100 units actually handle?
Naw. I'll stick with my little cheap wall warts and a power strip with a switch...
--Tomas
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Yeah, us nerds often make up our own words.
--Tomas
Re:I'm not impressed... (Score:4, Informative)
Parent
Great Idea. (Score:2, Interesting)
Already available today (Score:2, Informative)
I have one of these (Score:3, Insightful)
I have one of these; it's called a "Computer." Seriously - every necessary portable device I own charges through USB - my phone, my camera, my mp3 player, all of it.
Westinghouse is essentially trying to sell me a hundred dollar USB hub. That's progress for you.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Stupid Idea! More Power Standardization Instead! (Score:3, Interesting)
For starters each green plug power source is likely to be larger and bulkier than a power supply that operates at a single set of charachteristics. Given that the devices that require these power supplies are usually mobile that means it just got heavier to lug your mobile phone charger on vacation. Now you might hope that in total you would save on power supplies because you could share one power source between multiple devices. But if you only bring one power supply on your trip that means you can't leave your laptop charging in your hotel room/friend's house while taking your cell phone charger with for the day.
In short flexibility will require we still own a power supply for each device not to mention the point made in the article that each vendor is still going to want to ship a power source with their item. It seems to me a better idea is to standardize on a few power profiles and connectors instead so we can simply use more power supplies interchangeably without making them support multiple voltages.
In particular it seems best if we standardized on one connector (like the great apple magnetic one) for laptop type devices and the settled on powering the small devices through the USB standard like the iphone and other cell phones. Not only does your power cable now double as a data cable but we've saved on all the excess effort that would have gone into making smart power sources offering multiple voltages.
Re:Stupid Idea! More Power Standardization Instead (Score:5, Interesting)
It's not about the "plugs" it's about the wasted power of plugged in things that aren't being used. The trouble with Wall-warts is they are stupid and drizzle power the entire time they are plugged in, even without a device attached. What do we do? we buy and extra to take on the road, so we don't have to crawl under our desks and unplug them... so we have 5 wall-warts running with no devices all day!! That's what this product is trying to eliminate because it will shut as much power circuitry as possible when the device is not used.
Parent
Westinghouse doesn't make anything (Score:5, Informative)
The only thing actually made by "Westinghouse" is nuclear reactors. [westinghousenuclear.com] The brand name is licensed out by CBS to Westinghouse Digital Electronics LLC, which is a front for Chi Mei Optoelectronics, a subsidiary of Chi Mei Corporation (Taiwan).
Chi Mei is probably the world's leading supplier of large LCD panels.
It's not like that (Score:5, Insightful)
On the other hand, when your cell phone dies, or your electric razor, or your battery charger, you can buy a new one without buying a new power supply -- because the power supply is universal, see? Less waste in the landfill, less use of resources (one less supply to build), less money to buy the new item.
And if you dash off on a trip and forget your cell phone charger, but remember your electric razor charger -- hey, no problem! They'll just have to take turns. Or you can charge them both at night because you're not using your laptop.
In fact, any decent hotel will have a charger installed right in the wall. Just in case.
Or you're staying at a friend's house; you can borrow his.
As for the supply being bulky, they've already got a supply that can adjust to any voltage in its range.
Since the supply actually talks to the device, it will know when the device is charged, and turn itself off. Unlike the current average wall wart, it will stop using power (or only use a miniscule trickle) if the device doesn't need power.
So: Initial expense will be higher, but you'll be able to save on later purchases (because you can re-use the old supply), you'll save on power (because of lower vampiric power draw), and all the power supplies will be interchangeable.
Greenplug's web site [greenplug.us]
Not too useful website (Score:3, Informative)
No information on power levels -- I could really use some information in I and V ranges. I could use some basic information about protocols. Is it designed for intermittent use, like charging, or can I design my widget to use one of these for full time operation?
I'd rate the website +5 for marketing speak and -200 for lack of technical detail that could give interested technical folks some basic information to decide whether to take this to the next level.
Bring on more iPod power connectors (Score:5, Informative)
I travel a bit and it is a royal pain in the ass to have to have to carry multiple chargers. I'm up to 5 now - laptop, phone, ipod, ipaq, and camera chargers (yes, I could scale back what I take, but I don't want to; I use all those devices a lot on the move).
It is probably one of the most common electronic devices so I'm really surprised there's not more out there. I know Apple wants a cut, but I can't imagine its more than a couple of dollars per device and I'd HAPPILY pay the extra for it. In addition to the above 5 devices I have a billion more at home that I don't want either.
While I'd obviously much rather see some generic standard take hold, I can't see that happening because these add-on peripheral things are clearly such an awesome cashcow for consumer electronics makers. In the meantime, I'm happy to let Apple rule the roost.
oh yes, let's celebrate even more connectors. (Score:3, Informative)
really? It's not that obvious from the text above that line.
"much rather see some generic standard take hold, I can't see that happening because these add-on peripheral things are clearly such an awesome cashcow for consumer electronics makers. In the meantime, I'm happy to let Apple rule the roost."
And it's definitely non-obvious here. If anything, I'd say it's obvious you love Apple (nothing wrong with that; certainly not calling you a fanboy or anything juvenile of the sort. I lov
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
How is this Interesting? (Score:5, Informative)
So no, the parent is not "interesting".
Parent